decreasing since the sudden influx of cheaper Scottish salmon on the market. They know their…
One would think that eating cod would be more enjoyable than reading about them. This is not the case in Mark Kurlansky's book entitled Cod: A biography of the Fish That Changed the World. Before reading this book I was wondering to myself how an author like Kurlansky could make a book about cod so fascinating and very hard to put down. In my opinion, Kurlansky portrays one of the most mundane items and transforms it into an engaging and informing text that is truly easy to read. To give a brief synopsis, this book takes the reader from low impact commercial fishing of ancient Basque fishermen, through the Cod Wars between England and Iceland, to the destructive power of modern fisheries.…
In the book Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky, the author tries to prove that the discovery of the cod fish changed the world. Gadus morhua, or cod, had turned from a commercial fish eaten by all, to a reason for war and travel. The book starts by following a group of Canadian fishermen who were struggling to sustain their livelihood on overfished seas. What they didn’t know was that they were “at the wrong end of a 1,000-year fishing spree.” As early as the 1600’s, the main source of food was cod. Cod had become a main source of food for long time as it was one of the only fish that could go without rotting. Along with its long lasting appeal, it was also one of the easiest fish to catch, being considered one of the laziest in the water. During a time where knowledge of other sources of food maintenance wasn’t as expanded as it is today, cod fish was essential for anyone near a body of water. Profit was the first outcome from this fish. Many people had begun to learn that salt was something that kept the fish lasting longer, one of the first being the Basques. Basques were located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France. Since as early as the 1000’s, the Basque people knew how to use both their boats and salt. They knew exactly where to catch the most cod fish and how to preserve. They started to put together, from what they thought, an unlimited supply of the fish because of their new way of storing it and traded it with other groups. Even the trade of salt was successful, due to the fact that other groups valued cod just as much. Basques had transformed flaky cod fillets into a protein-rich nutritious meal. Cod preserved became food for the masses; the salty stuff continued by the Vikings and large populations throughout Europe during the…
Over decades, many Americans reject the ideas of evolution and there were many arguments against the theory of human evolution. However, in order to understand how the human developed, we must look at the human evolution. For many centuries, we have been curious about our origins and our human bodies structure. How we got to be the kind of species we are today, such as the way we look; walking upright on two legs, our hands has five fingers, the size of our brain and teeth, and what makes us a unique species. Our animal ancestors have shaped our body structure in many ways, we humans have a lot in common than you might think with apes, reptiles and even fish.…
the students will be working in partners to create a painting from the book “What’s It Like to be a Fish?” by Wendy Pfeffer to express their definition of what is it to be a fish and live in the ocean. The students will be required to fully express their understanding of what it is to live in the ocean based on the book.…
Big Fish is a film directed by Tim Burton and filled with all sorts of different elements. One of these elements pertains to Edward Bloom, a man too full of thoughts and excitement for his hometown of Ashton. This element spreads throughout the entire film while at the same time, demonstrating two of Edward’s different views: the one of the world and the one of himself. Both views play an important role in the film as they are tied together during on the last scenes in the movie: Edward’s funeral. They come together to become one view in which Edward is always present.…
Some people believe that Sea World is a greedy, profit-seeking organization that couldn’t care less about the treatment and well-being of their animals, but the truth is, the animals are in the best possible care. If the orcas or any other animal at Sea World were anywhere else, they would not get the attention and care they need to survive. Sea World’s reputation was tarnished severely by the documentary, Blackfish, in 2013. “This documentary claims that life at Sea World is cruel and harsh for both the trainers and the whales and that they have attempted to cover up the truth about many incidents involving their whales; both are false (Truth About Blackfish, Sea World Cares.com). Kyle Kittleson, a former marine mammal trainer for Sea World, states, “the documentary, Blackfish, is about 15% correct; one of those facts being in Sea Worlds earlier times, like the 60’s and 70’s, people had a different…
The author’s main purpose for writing “Fish Cheeks” was to show her description of her embarrassment throughout the short story. This is definitely something that everyone can completely relate to. This is greatly expressed when she describes her family’s manners at the dinner table. I felt her humiliation; I also have had people come over to my house who I’ve wanted to impress but didn’t because I knew I was going to get humiliate by my family. There have also been multiple occasions where my mother has said and done things that I never would tell or show my friends. What people should enjoy most in this short story is the way in which she understands her mother’s words and realized that everything was done in her favor, and that she shouldn’t feel bad about being herself in front of others. “She is…
Being exposed to different kinds of poetry from childhood, I grew fond of it though now I prefer fictional prose to poetry. As a profoundly sensuous form of creative writing, poetry both challenges my mind and conquers my aesthetic sense with its subtle wording. But specifically because it is a thought provoking and demanding form of writing I do not read poetry often. Therefore, the variety of topics, styles and forms of poems collected in Alehouse Journal 2011 disoriented me completely. However, the poems were carefully selected and united under the common styles, topics, and forms. Dreams was one of such topics. The complex nature of dreams make them one of the most prolific topics in poems.…
SeaWorld is considered one of the most magical places on earth. With majestic animals that aren’t seen in everyday life, come alive to please thousands of people a day. While we believe these animals are happy and enjoy the attention, Blackfish has given us reasons not to believe the false advertisement. While comparing these animals to the wild, we see that they are not as free as they should be and deserve to live in their natural habitat. One of the animals that the film focuses on are killer whales, also known as orcas, which are massive animals that like to swim for miles a day not just in circles which is what they do at SeaWorld. After watching Blackfish, I hope viewers are as sickened as I was and vow to never go.…
The reading, “The Poisoned Fish,” presents a common problem called “Engfish” that many students in high school or college have. In my opinion, Engfish is whenever you write down something and it does not provide a comprehensive understanding of what is written. For example, if a professor asks a student to write about his or her dream house, the student must provide a well elaborate description of how is his or her dream house, providing details about size, measurement, weather, etc. I agree with the author, because Macrorie gives an important reason why students tend to commit this problem, and it is because students think that their professor wants them to write using fancy words. Sometimes it can be true, but it is important to know…
The short essay “Look at Your Fish”, is written by Samuel Hubbard Scudder, was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 13, 1837 and lived until May 17, 1911. Scudder’s profession was an entomologist and paleontologist and was widely known for his essay on the importance of first-hand, careful observation in the natural sciences. He graduated at Williams College in 1857 and at Harvard University in 1862. In the short essay “Look at Your Fish” it narrates how Scudder wants to learn all about zoology, especially about insects and so the professor then gives him a fish specimen and tells Scudder to look at it. This happens many times and each time Scudder looks and observes the fish, he sees more and more new aspects of the fish.…
Poems have a way of drawing an audience to several interpretations. This is clear in Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “The Fish” as the speaker has second thoughts of capturing a fish to eat after realizing the severities it went through. This poem does a great job of using several techniques to get its point across on the central theme, which is interpreted as the ongoing struggle of humans versus nature. The author uses several literary approaches to convey its message. By utilizing diction, figurative language and imagery, the power of man over the environment is easily developed.…
To be blind can mean many things. The effects of those who are not literally blind, but who cannot see through the haze of perspective concepts developed by society, such as the issue of discrimination or social status, are often negative and cause misguided behavioral actions by individuals. Authors, such as Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison, use the motif of blindness that makes their literary characters prejudice, and indicates a lack of understanding which binds them to set fates of death, downfall, and destruction, outlining the effect that divided society has on an individual. In Thomas C. Fosters novel, How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, he talks about the reasons behind authors purposes of choosing to use blindness as a long lasting motive in their works of literature: “Clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical.…
How is the fish characterized? Is it simply a weak victim because it “didn’t fight”? Comment on lines 65-76. In what sense has “victory filled up” the boat, given the fact the speaker finally let the fish go?…